The flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina (Serbo-Croatian: zastava Bosne i Hercegovine / застава Босне и Херцеговине) contains a medium blue field with a yellow right triangle separating said field, and there are seven full five-pointed white stars and two half stars top and bottom along the hypotenuse of the triangle.
4 February 1998; 25 years ago (1998-02-04) (updated 10 August 2001)[1]
Design
A medium blue field with a yellow right triangle separating said field; along the hypotenuse of the triangle, there are seven full five-pointed white stars and two half stars at the top and bottom of the flag.
Designed by
Mladen Kolobarić. The flag was proclaimed by the High Representative Carlos Westendorp
Current and old flags of Bosnia and Herzegovina, along with that of the army flying in front of the grave of Alija Izetbegović.
The three points of the triangle stand for the three main ethnic groups (or "constituent peoples") of Bosnia and Herzegovina: Bosniaks, Croats, and Serbs.[2] The triangle represents the approximate shape of the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina.[3]
The stars, representing Europe, are meant to be infinite in number and thus they continue from top to bottom. The flag features colors often associated with neutrality and peace – white, blue, and yellow. They are also colors traditionally associated with Bosnian culture and history.[3] The blue background is evocative of the flag of the European Union.[4][5]
The Bosnian national flag is also used for official purposes by the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, one of the constituent entities of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The flag of the Kingdom of Bosnia was based on coat of arms of the Bosnian dynasty Kotromanić, king Tvrtko I and his successors. The flag of medieval Bosnia was white with the coat of arms of the Kotromanić dynasty in the middle which consisted of a blue shield with six gold fleur de lys displayed around a white bend.
Royal banner of the Kingdom of Bosnia
Western Herzegovina 1760 flag
The green flag with the white crescent and star pointing to the left was used by Bosniak landlords in border parts in southern and western Herzegovina. The flag was most commonly used in wars. It also accompanied the troops of the Eyalet of Bosnia during the second siege of Khotyn in Moldavia. It differs from Ottoman flag by size and direction of crescent, as well as its swallow-shape, similar to some West-European jacks and ensigns.
Western Herzegovina flag, 1760
Bosnian Revolt of 1830s flag
In the 1830s revolt by Husein Gradaščević the green flag with a yellow crescent and star was used. The revolt's aim was for Bosnia to gain autonomy from the Ottoman Empire.
Bosnian Revolt Flag, 1831
Austro-Hungarian rule
When the Austro-Hungarian Empireannexed Bosnia and Herzegovina the flag was changed. The province of Bosnia used a flag that was red and yellow horizontally, but the province of Herzegovina used the same flag but with reversed colors (yellow and red).
The coat of arms is one of Stjepan Vukčić Kosača, Bosnian noble and duke from 14th century. The original medieval coat of arms had a white background and two red stripes in the top of the shield. It was Similar to the old flag of the Western Bosnian Flag.
Flag of the Condominium of Bosnia and Herzegovina during Austro-Hungarian administration (the country was formally under the sovereignty of the Ottoman Empire) (1878–1908)
Flag of Bosnia after Austro-Hungarian annexation (1878–1908)
Flag of Bosnia after Austro-Hungarian annexation (1908)
Flag of Herzegovina after Austro-Hungarian annexation (1878–1918)
Flag of Bosnia after Austro-Hungarian annexation (1908–1918)
Yugoslav period
Democratic Federal Yugoslavia (1942–1946)
After World War II, in 1945, the red star flag became universally official. It was given its final shape by enlarging the star and adding a narrow yellow border. The flag was usually accompanied on official buildings by the flag of the federal republic and the flag of the League of Communists of Yugoslavia. Because of this, many buildings in former Bosnia and Herzegovina still carry a three-poled flag holder. A smaller version of the flag served as the civil ensign while an elongated banner version was seen flown in front of the Yugoslav parliament.
The flag of the Bosnian—Herzegovinian Partisans during World War II (27 November 1943)
The Flag of the Democratic Federal Yugoslavia during World War II (1943–1946)
The Flag of the Yugoslav Partisans during World War II (16 December 1942)
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (1946–1992)
First proposed flag of the People's Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina (15 November 1946). This version was very similar to the Yugoslav flag (1945–1992)
Proposed flag of the People's Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina (1947)
Flag of the SR of Bosnia and Herzegovina (31 December 1946 − 6 April 1992)
Independent Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina (1992–1998)
A cemetery in Mostar flying the flag of the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina (left), the flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the flag of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina
On 3 March 1992 Bosnia and Herzegovina declared its independence from Yugoslavia. Initially the newly independent Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina continued to use the flag of the Socialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina until a new flag was adopted on 20 May 1992. The flag picked was the arms of the Kings of Bosnia Kotromanić dynasty, who ruled from 1377 until 1463 over the area that is present day Bosnia and Herzegovina and Dalmatia, consisted of a blue shield with six golden lilies displayed around a white bend; the golden lily is the Lilium bosniacum, which is a native lily to the area. The flag chosen in 1992 has a white background with the Bosnian lily in the center. Though it is no longer an official flag of the state, the flag continues to be used unofficially by Bosniak civilians as a sort of ethnic flag,[5] used at football games, as part of political rallies, and other such events.[6]
The Bosnian Serbs who lived in Bosnia and Herzegovina after the signing of the Dayton Agreement viewed the flag with the six fleurs-de-lys as only representing the Bosniaks (i.e. Bosnian Muslims) of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The flag of the state was eventually changed into the current, post-1998 flag. The current flag was introduced by the UN High RepresentativeCarlos Westendorp after the Parliament of Bosnia and Herzegovina could not decide on a solution that was acceptable to all parties.[7] Aside from the colors, the current flag contains no historical or other references to the Bosnian state.[5] The flag is rarely ever seen in the Republika Srpska,[5] whose residents prefer to fly either that entity's regional flag or the Serbian national flag instead.[5] Some Bosniaks dislike or have no particular affinity for the flag, preferring the former Bosnian national flag used from 1992 to 1998 (which remains used by some Bosniaks as a sort of ethnic flag),[5] or the former socialist-era Yugoslav flag instead.[5]
The first flag that was proposed in the First Set of Proposals was the "Czech Pattern", similar to the flag of the Czech Republic. It was intended to represent all three constitutive nations living in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The next proposal was the "Laurel branch". It is based on the light blue colour of the United Nations Flag. It would have had a golden olive branch in the middle. The olive branch is taken from the United Nations emblem. The flag would have only one branch. The branch was rotated around 30 degrees counterclockwise. The third proposal was the "Map" proposal. It would also use the United Nations light blue colour; however, there would be the addition of a white outline map of Bosnia and Herzegovina. No official text was ever published specifying the colour of the outline, but it probably would have been white.
First alternative flag of first proposal
Second alternative flag of first proposal
Third alternative flag of first proposal
The Second Set of Proposals had flags that were truly representative of Bosnia and Herzegovina as a whole. The first flag design was a diagonally striped tricolor pattern of red to white to blue (different colors but in the same pattern as the Flag of the Republic of the Congo). In the centre there would be a blue map of Bosnia and Herzegovina outlined in yellow in the middle inside a circle of 10 five-pointed yellow stars. The flag would have been a 1:2 ratio. The second flag proposed was very similar except it had 12 five-pointed stars to represent the European Union. The Flag of Europe has the 12 five-pointed stars. The third design was a bit more different from the first two designs. The diagonal tricolour shape was kept, but the diagonal white stripe was made wider so that the angle was not perfectly 45 degrees. In the center there was a yellow map of Bosnia and Herzegovina outlined in green and under it there were two green olive branches. The olive branch pattern was the same one that the United Nations uses in its flag. The final fourth design was kept the same emblem from the third design, but did not have the diagonal stripes. Instead it had a horizontal tricolour pattern of blue, white, and red (from top to bottom), similar to that of the former Yugoslavia.
First alternative flag of second proposal
Second alternative flag of second proposal
Third alternative flag of second proposal
Fourth alternative flag of second proposal
The first Westendorp alternative flag was a highly similar one to today's flag, a diagonally divided top-hoist to bottom-fly yellow over light blue flag with line of 9 white five-pointed stars in the light blue field along the diagonal. The only major difference was that the color of the background was UN blue. The second Carlos Westendorp alternative flag is a light blue flag (using the United Nations' flag's colors) with 5 bars interchangeably coming out of hoist and not reaching the other end. The colors are interchangeably yellow and white. In the third alternative flag, the field was light blue and had five narrow yellow bars.
First Carlos Westendorp alternative flag proposal
Second Carlos Westendorp alternative flag proposal
Third Carlos Westendorp alternative flag proposal
Westendorp's decision ended up being the first alternative flag. However, it was changed slightly to a darker blue, evocative of the European Union's flag.[5]
^ (English: Law on the State flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina), published on 3 August 2001 and valid from 10 August 2001; according to the Article 13 of the Law which proclaimed vacatio legis of seven days. Službeni glasnik BiH dated: 10 August 2001) (English: Official Gazette of Bosn. & Herz.) No. 19/01, published on 3 August 2001.
^"Outside world chooses new flag for Bosnia". Independent.co.uk. 5 February 1998. Retrieved 12 December 2017.
^ ab. Central Intelligence Agency. Archived from the original on 1 July 2017. Retrieved 6 April 2017.
^"BBC News | Europe | New flag imposed on Bosnians". news.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 8 February 2023.
^ abcdefghLakic, Mladen (6 December 2017). "Bosnia's 'Foreign' Flag Still Draws Mixed Feelings". Balkan Insight. Retrieved 22 January 2019.
^Obad, Kemal (23 November 2015). "Geopolitical importance of Bosnia-Herzegovina in global relations". Daily Sabah. Turkey. Retrieved 12 January 2019.
^"Outside world chooses new flag for Bosnia". Independent.co.uk. 5 February 1998.
flag, bosnia, herzegovina, flag, bosnia, herzegovina, serbo, croatian, zastava, bosne, hercegovine, застава, Босне, Херцеговине, contains, medium, blue, field, with, yellow, right, triangle, separating, said, field, there, seven, full, five, pointed, white, st. The flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina Serbo Croatian zastava Bosne i Hercegovine zastava Bosne i Hercegovine contains a medium blue field with a yellow right triangle separating said field and there are seven full five pointed white stars and two half stars top and bottom along the hypotenuse of the triangle Bosnia and HerzegovinaUseNational flagProportion1 2Adopted4 February 1998 25 years ago 1998 02 04 updated 10 August 2001 1 DesignA medium blue field with a yellow right triangle separating said field along the hypotenuse of the triangle there are seven full five pointed white stars and two half stars at the top and bottom of the flag Designed byMladen Kolobaric The flag was proclaimed by the High Representative Carlos WestendorpCurrent and old flags of Bosnia and Herzegovina along with that of the army flying in front of the grave of Alija Izetbegovic The three points of the triangle stand for the three main ethnic groups or constituent peoples of Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosniaks Croats and Serbs 2 The triangle represents the approximate shape of the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina 3 The stars representing Europe are meant to be infinite in number and thus they continue from top to bottom The flag features colors often associated with neutrality and peace white blue and yellow They are also colors traditionally associated with Bosnian culture and history 3 The blue background is evocative of the flag of the European Union 4 5 The Bosnian national flag is also used for official purposes by the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina one of the constituent entities of Bosnia and Herzegovina Contents 1 History 1 1 Bosnian Banate from 1154 until 1377 1 2 Bosnian Kingdom from 1377 until 1463 1 3 Western Herzegovina 1760 flag 1 4 Bosnian Revolt of 1830s flag 1 5 Austro Hungarian rule 1 6 Yugoslav period 1 6 1 Democratic Federal Yugoslavia 1942 1946 1 6 2 Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia 1946 1992 1 7 Independent Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina 1992 1998 1 8 Bosnia and Herzegovina after the Dayton Accords 2 Colors scheme 3 Alternative flag proposals 4 Flags of administrative divisions 4 1 Entities of Bosnia and Herzegovina 5 See also 6 References 7 External linksHistory EditThis section needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources in this section Unsourced material may be challenged and removed January 2017 Learn how and when to remove this template message Bosnian Banate from 1154 until 1377 Edit Used by Stjepan II Kotromanic Royal banner of the Banate of BosniaBosnian Kingdom from 1377 until 1463 Edit The flag of the Kingdom of Bosnia was based on coat of arms of the Bosnian dynasty Kotromanic king Tvrtko I and his successors The flag of medieval Bosnia was white with the coat of arms of the Kotromanic dynasty in the middle which consisted of a blue shield with six gold fleur de lys displayed around a white bend Royal banner of the Kingdom of BosniaWestern Herzegovina 1760 flag Edit The green flag with the white crescent and star pointing to the left was used by Bosniak landlords in border parts in southern and western Herzegovina The flag was most commonly used in wars It also accompanied the troops of the Eyalet of Bosnia during the second siege of Khotyn in Moldavia It differs from Ottoman flag by size and direction of crescent as well as its swallow shape similar to some West European jacks and ensigns Western Herzegovina flag 1760 Bosnian Revolt of 1830s flag Edit In the 1830s revolt by Husein Gradascevic the green flag with a yellow crescent and star was used The revolt s aim was for Bosnia to gain autonomy from the Ottoman Empire Bosnian Revolt Flag 1831Austro Hungarian rule Edit When the Austro Hungarian Empire annexed Bosnia and Herzegovina the flag was changed The province of Bosnia used a flag that was red and yellow horizontally but the province of Herzegovina used the same flag but with reversed colors yellow and red The coat of arms is one of Stjepan Vukcic Kosaca Bosnian noble and duke from 14th century The original medieval coat of arms had a white background and two red stripes in the top of the shield It was Similar to the old flag of the Western Bosnian Flag Flag of the Condominium of Bosnia and Herzegovina during Austro Hungarian administration the country was formally under the sovereignty of the Ottoman Empire 1878 1908 Flag of Bosnia after Austro Hungarian annexation 1878 1908 Flag of Bosnia after Austro Hungarian annexation 1908 Flag of Herzegovina after Austro Hungarian annexation 1878 1918 Flag of Bosnia after Austro Hungarian annexation 1908 1918 Yugoslav period Edit Democratic Federal Yugoslavia 1942 1946 Edit After World War II in 1945 the red star flag became universally official It was given its final shape by enlarging the star and adding a narrow yellow border The flag was usually accompanied on official buildings by the flag of the federal republic and the flag of the League of Communists of Yugoslavia Because of this many buildings in former Bosnia and Herzegovina still carry a three poled flag holder A smaller version of the flag served as the civil ensign while an elongated banner version was seen flown in front of the Yugoslav parliament The flag of the Bosnian Herzegovinian Partisans during World War II 27 November 1943 The Flag of the Democratic Federal Yugoslavia during World War II 1943 1946 The Flag of the Yugoslav Partisans during World War II 16 December 1942 Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia 1946 1992 Edit While being the Socialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina within communist Yugoslavia the Yugoslav flag stood as a canton while the rest of the flag was red to symbolise the socialism and communism in Yugoslavia at the time Bosnia and Herzegovina also had a new coat of arms during Yugoslav rule it was a symbol of Bosnian industrialism at the time This flag is similar to the flag of the Soviet Union and the flag of China First proposed flag of the People s Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina 15 November 1946 This version was very similar to the Yugoslav flag 1945 1992 Proposed flag of the People s Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina 1947 Flag of the SR of Bosnia and Herzegovina 31 December 1946 6 April 1992 Independent Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina 1992 1998 Edit A cemetery in Mostar flying the flag of the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina left the flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the flag of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina On 3 March 1992 Bosnia and Herzegovina declared its independence from Yugoslavia Initially the newly independent Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina continued to use the flag of the Socialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina until a new flag was adopted on 20 May 1992 The flag picked was the arms of the Kings of Bosnia Kotromanic dynasty who ruled from 1377 until 1463 over the area that is present day Bosnia and Herzegovina and Dalmatia consisted of a blue shield with six golden lilies displayed around a white bend the golden lily is the Lilium bosniacum which is a native lily to the area The flag chosen in 1992 has a white background with the Bosnian lily in the center Though it is no longer an official flag of the state the flag continues to be used unofficially by Bosniak civilians as a sort of ethnic flag 5 used at football games as part of political rallies and other such events 6 Flag of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina 3 March 1992 20 May 1992 Flag of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina 20 May 1992 3 February 1998 Bosnia and Herzegovina after the Dayton Accords Edit The Bosnian Serbs who lived in Bosnia and Herzegovina after the signing of the Dayton Agreement viewed the flag with the six fleurs de lys as only representing the Bosniaks i e Bosnian Muslims of Bosnia and Herzegovina The flag of the state was eventually changed into the current post 1998 flag The current flag was introduced by the UN High Representative Carlos Westendorp after the Parliament of Bosnia and Herzegovina could not decide on a solution that was acceptable to all parties 7 Aside from the colors the current flag contains no historical or other references to the Bosnian state 5 The flag is rarely ever seen in the Republika Srpska 5 whose residents prefer to fly either that entity s regional flag or the Serbian national flag instead 5 Some Bosniaks dislike or have no particular affinity for the flag preferring the former Bosnian national flag used from 1992 to 1998 which remains used by some Bosniaks as a sort of ethnic flag 5 or the former socialist era Yugoslav flag instead 5 Flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina 4 February 1998 present Construction sheet Vertical flag Colors scheme EditThe official colors of the flag are 8 Colors Pantone CMYK RGB HexadecimalBlue Reflex Blue C 100 87 0 20 0 20 137 001489Yellow 116 C 0 10 98 0 255 205 0 FFCD00Alternative flag proposals EditThe first flag that was proposed in the First Set of Proposals was the Czech Pattern similar to the flag of the Czech Republic It was intended to represent all three constitutive nations living in Bosnia and Herzegovina The next proposal was the Laurel branch It is based on the light blue colour of the United Nations Flag It would have had a golden olive branch in the middle The olive branch is taken from the United Nations emblem The flag would have only one branch The branch was rotated around 30 degrees counterclockwise The third proposal was the Map proposal It would also use the United Nations light blue colour however there would be the addition of a white outline map of Bosnia and Herzegovina No official text was ever published specifying the colour of the outline but it probably would have been white First alternative flag of first proposal Second alternative flag of first proposal Third alternative flag of first proposalThe Second Set of Proposals had flags that were truly representative of Bosnia and Herzegovina as a whole The first flag design was a diagonally striped tricolor pattern of red to white to blue different colors but in the same pattern as the Flag of the Republic of the Congo In the centre there would be a blue map of Bosnia and Herzegovina outlined in yellow in the middle inside a circle of 10 five pointed yellow stars The flag would have been a 1 2 ratio The second flag proposed was very similar except it had 12 five pointed stars to represent the European Union The Flag of Europe has the 12 five pointed stars The third design was a bit more different from the first two designs The diagonal tricolour shape was kept but the diagonal white stripe was made wider so that the angle was not perfectly 45 degrees In the center there was a yellow map of Bosnia and Herzegovina outlined in green and under it there were two green olive branches The olive branch pattern was the same one that the United Nations uses in its flag The final fourth design was kept the same emblem from the third design but did not have the diagonal stripes Instead it had a horizontal tricolour pattern of blue white and red from top to bottom similar to that of the former Yugoslavia First alternative flag of second proposal Second alternative flag of second proposal Third alternative flag of second proposal Fourth alternative flag of second proposalThe first Westendorp alternative flag was a highly similar one to today s flag a diagonally divided top hoist to bottom fly yellow over light blue flag with line of 9 white five pointed stars in the light blue field along the diagonal The only major difference was that the color of the background was UN blue The second Carlos Westendorp alternative flag is a light blue flag using the United Nations flag s colors with 5 bars interchangeably coming out of hoist and not reaching the other end The colors are interchangeably yellow and white In the third alternative flag the field was light blue and had five narrow yellow bars First Carlos Westendorp alternative flag proposal Second Carlos Westendorp alternative flag proposal Third Carlos Westendorp alternative flag proposalWestendorp s decision ended up being the first alternative flag However it was changed slightly to a darker blue evocative of the European Union s flag 5 Flags of administrative divisions EditEntities of Bosnia and Herzegovina Edit Flag of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina 5 November 1996 14 June 2007 Flag of Republika Srpska 6 April 1992 present See also Edit Bosnia and Herzegovina portalList of Bosnian and Herzegovinian flags Coat of arms of Bosnia and Herzegovina Flag of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina Flag of Republika Srpska Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina Flag of KosovoReferences Edit Zakon o zastavi Bosne i Hercegovine English Law on the State flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina published on 3 August 2001 and valid from 10 August 2001 according to the Article 13 of the Law which proclaimed vacatio legis of seven days Sluzbeni glasnik BiH dated 10 August 2001 English Official Gazette of Bosn amp Herz No 19 01 published on 3 August 2001 Outside world chooses new flag for Bosnia Independent co uk 5 February 1998 Retrieved 12 December 2017 a b The World Factbook Field listing flag description Central Intelligence Agency Archived from the original on 1 July 2017 Retrieved 6 April 2017 BBC News Europe New flag imposed on Bosnians news bbc co uk Retrieved 8 February 2023 a b c d e f g h Lakic Mladen 6 December 2017 Bosnia s Foreign Flag Still Draws Mixed Feelings Balkan Insight Retrieved 22 January 2019 Obad Kemal 23 November 2015 Geopolitical importance of Bosnia Herzegovina in global relations Daily Sabah Turkey Retrieved 12 January 2019 Outside world chooses new flag for Bosnia Independent co uk 5 February 1998 Bosnia and Herzegovina www fotw info External links Edit Media related to Flags of Bosnia and Herzegovina at Wikimedia Commons Quotations related to Flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina at Wikiquote Bosnia and Herzegovina at Flags of the World Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina amp oldid 1138222068, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
